If The Lord Wills...

Today's devotion, so very fitting for we who are mourning once again!

Our church family is reeling again with the blow

of another sudden loss of one of our family.

Cliff Martin was a friend to my husband, (and me)

both of them life-long truck drivers.

Yesterday morning, for reasons still unknown

Cliff's truck rolled over and he lost his life.

Our hearts are broken for his family

as we lift them to our loving Heavenly Father in prayer.

Will you pray too?

Great is Thy Faithfulness

 

Ps.23:4

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil: for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

James 4:13-15

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, 

spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.” 

14You do not even know what will happen tomorrow!

 What is your life? 

You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.

15Instead, you ought to say, 

“If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

(The above verses, since my sister Lucy's sudden death last Sept.

are imprinted on my heart with

every plan I make!!)

If the Lord wills, we will do this or that today. Amen

What peace this precept brings as we face life’s unknowns again

God gives and takes away; life’s day-to-day time’s fleeting nod

Before we go the way of ‘dust-to-dust-and-soul-to-God’

If the Lord wills, we will go here or there today. Amen

We cannot see beyond the very moment we are in

But He who knows our numbered days before one came to be

Unfurls the goodness of His grace for all humanity

To all who trust in Him, He satisfies faith’s deepest needs

The vastness of His mercy thought’s comprehension exceeds

He is with us; He comforts us as we pray once again

‘If the Lord wills, we will do this or that today. Amen’

© Janet Martin

For Those Tears I Died

Break of Day Hymn or Election Day Hymn

It is Election Day in Canada

Ps.113:1-4

Praise, O servants of the Lord,

Praise the name of the Lord!

2 Blessed be the name of the Lord

From this time forth and forevermore!

3 From the rising of the sun to its going down

The Lord’s name is to be praised.

4 The Lord is high above all nations,

His glory above the heavens...

Ps.112:1&7

Praise[a] the Lord!

Blessed is the man who fears the Lord,

Who delights greatly in His commandments...

He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.

Ps.111:1-4&10

Praise[a] the Lord!

I will praise the Lord with my whole heart,

In the assembly of the upright and in the congregation.

2 The works of the Lord are great,

Studied by all who have pleasure in them.

3 His work is honorable and glorious,

And His righteousness endures forever.

4 He has made His wonderful works to be remembered;

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion...

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;

A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.

His praise endures forever.

Breaking of day is brief; soon heaven's blushing grandeur pales

To workaday backdrops; where duty's common demands press

With weighted musts/mists of creature care and Future's un-blazed trails

Compelling us not to proceed without God's promises

The theater of dawn rings, rife with birdsong-orchestras

Praise He who cups and overflows the fountain of today

No matter what befalls Our God is worthy of applause

He is above all nations; nothing can His will dismay

...then do not be afraid because the Lord is on His throne

His goodness and mercy sustain all who call on His name

From rise to set of sun, pray, we will make His praises known

And love each other well till we return from whence we came 

Time's turn of leaf is brief where breaking of day-to-day tolls

Eternity is chief; let's set our minds on things above

While living here below, let's trust the Saviour of our souls

For all we do not know, then treat our fellowman with love

...for break of day is brief; time's turn of leaf soon filled and stilled

Eternity is chief; not this world's fleeting, noisy roar  

The works of God are great; seek His pleasure and be fulfilled

His everlasting righteousness endures forevermore 

Janet Martin

The theater of dawn rings, rife with birdsong-orchestras...

O Praise The Name (Anástasis) Lyric Video - Hillsong Worship

 

Unparalleled Relinquishment

In the course of my prayer this morning,

 what-ifs suddenly tried to force their way in,

seeking to overthrow trust with doubt, faith with fear!

Lord, you know all!

My parents, my husband and my children are in Thy faithful care!

'what a privilege to carry everything to You in prayer'

What unparalleled relinquishment,

what peace,

 to release to God

 full control!

...and then, this is today's devotion!

Thank-you Lord

Help me Lord, where unknowns tarry, to trust Your unfailing hand

Though your way is oft contrary to the purposes I planned

Help me not to dread tomorrow or to fret its mystery 

Keep me from stooping to borrow sorrows that may never be

In life's course of love and learning, testing courts of heart and soul

Help me to release my yearning to the peace of Your control 

Janet Martin

A morning sky like this makes me think of this hymn...

Still, Still with Thee

Lyrics by Harriet Beecher Stowe

1 Still, still with Thee, when purple morning breaketh,

When the bird waketh, and the shadows flee;

Fairer than morning, lovelier than daylight,

Dawns the sweet consciousness I am with Thee.

2 Alone with Thee amid the mystic shadows,

The solemn hush of nature newly born;

Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,

In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.

3 Still, still with Thee! as to each newborn morning

A fresh and solemn splendor still is given,

So does this blessed consciousness, awaking,

Breathe each day nearness unto Thee and heaven.

4 When sinks the soul, subdued by toil, to slumber,

Its closing eyes look up to Thee in prayer;

Sweet the repose beneath Thy wings o'ershading,

But sweeter still, to wake and find Thee there.

5 So shall it be at last, in that bright morning,

When the soul waketh, and life's shadows flee;

O in that hour, fairer than daylight dawning,

Shall rise the glorious thought, I am with Thee.

Amen.

Because The Heart Is Prone To Fear...

The heart is prone to fear

The eye to what it sees

Without God’s Word to commandeer

How gullible are these

The ear is how we hear

With voice we speak and sing

Without God’s Word to enrich cheer

How hollow noises ring

From minds, thought is unfurled

The hand follows, with deed

Without God’s Word, to gain the world

Still cannot sustain need

Bodies are born to die

Dust-to-dust, the Soul’s gown

Without God’s Word, hope is a lie

And knowledge but a clown

The Soul, God-breathed, endures

Beyond mortality

Faith in God and His word secures

Its holy destiny/victory

Headlines spew hateful wrath

And forecasts, dark and grim

God’s Word is a Light to our path

No woe/foe its glow can dim

Better to trust the Lord

In all we do not know

Because the power of His Word

No force can overthrow

The heart is prone to fear

Fear blinds us to the hills

Where God draws flaming chariots near

With peace His Word instills

The heart is quick to yield

To fear and dread and doubt

God's Word is both a sword and shield

None can survive without

© Janet Martin

Eph.6:13-17 BSB

13Therefore take up the full armor of God,

 so that when the day of evil comes, 

you will be able to stand your ground, 

and having done everything, to stand.

  14Stand firm then, 

with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, 

with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed, 

15and with your feet fitted 

with the readiness of the gospel of peace.

  16In addition to all this, 

take up the shield of faith, 

with which you can extinguish all

 the flaming arrows of the evil one. 

17And take the helmet of salvation 

and the sword of the Spirit, 

which is the word of God.

Blessed Assurance

My Anchor Holds

To Live a Hymn

Yesterday I attended the funeral

of my friend's father-in-law.

He was 65.

Then, I attended a visitation for another friend's son-in-law.

He was 34.

There my friend told me how my sister Lucy's picture hangs near her sewing machine

so she remembers to pray for me and Lucy's family.

(for irregular visitors here; my sister lost her life suddenly 

when she was hit while riding her bicycle last Sept.) 

Lucy was 55. 

When someone we love passes away it brings an end to

conversations, activities, dreams and plans once fondly shared.

But it flings wide the renewed invitation to dredge the deeps of

what truly matters, above all!

And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; 

but the greatest of these is love.

 1 Cor.13:13

Faith in the finished work of the cross!

Hope through Jesus' resurrection!

so we may know God's love

that surpasses knowledge!

1 Cor.15:16-19

16 For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 

17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 

18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 

19 If only for this life we have hope in Christ, 

we are of all people most to be pitied.

John 11:25-26

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.

 The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 

26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. 

Do you believe this?”

Do the above verses not ignite or rekindle a desire

to live the reflection of belief/faith?!

to live a hymn of hope?!

to live the light of love?!!

To live a hymn of love for Thee

O Lord, let this our motive be

To yield Want’s will to Thy command

To trust the leading of Thy Hand

And not with human wisdom try

Reason’s demand to satisfy

But without fail, to find enough

Where these abide;

 Faith, hope and love

To live a hymn to worship Thee

No matter what the cost may be

To know, no matter what our lot

Tis cradled in Divine Forethought

Where, once for all, Thy sacrifice

Suffered and covered pardon’s price

So, we would always find enough

Where these abide;

 Faith, hope and love

To live a hymn of humble awe

O Lord, to delight in Thy law

And then to fill Time's bar of days

With open-handed, thankful praise

Rather than loot of fleeting pelf

That cannot appease gods of Self

Lord, overflow hearts with enough

Where these abide;

Faith, hope and love 

To live a hymn of joy in Thee

With faith and hope's expectancy

Without a dearer purpose than

To love you first, then fellowman

To lay before Thy throne of grace

Each tear that treads the soul or face

Each prayer learning to find enough

Where You provide

 Faith, hope and love

© Janet Martin

Eph.3:14-21

14 For this reason I kneel before the Father,

 15 from whom every family[a] in heaven and on earth derives its name.

 16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you

 with power through his Spirit in your inner being, 

17 so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. 

And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 

18 may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people,

 to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 

19 and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—

that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

20 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine,

 according to his power that is at work within us, 

21 to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, 

for ever and ever! 

Amen.

Read the full glorious chapter of 1 Cor.15 HERE

1 Cor.15:50-58

50 I declare to you, brothers and sisters, 

that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God,

 nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 

51 Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 

52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. 

For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, 

and we will be changed. 

53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, 

and the mortal with immortality.

 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, 

and the mortal with immortality,

 then the saying that is written will come true: 

“Death has been swallowed up in victory.”[h]

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death, is your sting?”[i]

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 

57 But thanks be to God! 

He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. 

Let nothing move you.

 Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord,

 because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Below, the last paragraphs of yesterday's and today's devotions from

Streams in the Desert Vol.2

...and last but not least, my most listened to song of 2024...

I Set My Hope on Jesus

In This World We Will Have Trouble...

John 16:33

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. 

In this world you will have trouble. 

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

The reality of Trump's tariffs fill us with dark foreboding 

as we ponder the repercussions this will have on our (Canada's) economy.

Tariffs. A word that has seized our attention and kindled an outcry 

far greater than words like sin, pride, greed, etc. 

We never welcome trouble and testing

 that crashes into comfort zones and tumbles self-secure 'palaces/solaces'. 

 This generation has been spared the kind of suffering

 our forefathers, founders and builders of this nation endured, 

but we were never given a guarantee that we would always be spared.  

Proverbs 14:34 ESV

Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.

Jeremiah 2:5 ESV

Thus says the Lord: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me,

 and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

Jeremiah 18:9-10 ESV

And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it,

and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice,

then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it.

Psalm 91:1-16 ESV

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. 

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge;

 his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. 

You will not fear the tariff terror of the night, 

nor the arrow that flies by day, 

Ps.32:11 (read the whole glorious Psalm HERE)

Rejoice in the Lord and be glad, you righteous;
    sing, all you who are upright in heart!

A beautiful reminder of God's unfailing Presence and power

in today's devotion from Streams in the Desert Vol.2 

Dear Lord, Your Word is eternal

What You promise, You will do

In this world we will have trouble

Blessed are all who trust in You

Dear Lord, there is no one greater

Than You, who can thwart Your hand

For You are mankind's Creator

None exempt from Your command

Help us be anxious for nothing

Thank-you Lord, Your Word imparts

Peace that passes understanding

To guard our minds and hearts

This world groans with circumstances

Generations rise and fall

Breath by breath each soul advances

Toward You, Lord, God of all

Then, with earnest expectation

As Your mighty Name we laud

Fill us with fervent elation

For you Lord, are the true God

Dear Lord, Your Word is eternal

No one can its power claim

In this world we will have trouble

A world that You overcame

Dear Lord, Your Word is eternal

Fill faith with fresh zeal again

In this world we will have trouble

But You are Sov'reign. Amen 

© Janet Martin

 

Jer.10:6-7

 (read the whole awesome chapter HERE)

There is none like You, O LORD.

You are great, and Your name is mighty in power.

7Who would not fear You, O King of nations?

This is Your due.

For among all the wise men of the nations,

and in all their kingdoms,

there is none like You...

Only a Holy God

Lyrics

Songwriters: Michael Farren / Rich Thompson / Dustin Smith / Jonny Robinson

Who else commands all the hosts of heaven?

Who else could make every king bow down?

Who else can whisper and darkness trembles?

Only a Holy God

What other beauty demands such praises?

What other splendor outshines the sun?

What other majesty rules with justice?

Only a Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

What other glory consumes like fire?

What other power can raise the dead?

What other name remains undefeated?

Only a Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Who else could rescue me from my failing?

Who else would offer His only Son?

Who else invites me to call Him Father?

Only a Holy God

Only my Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Come and behold Him

The One and the Only

Cry out, sing holy

Forever a Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

Come and worship the Holy God

The Key/Path To True Happiness

Happiness is not listed with the fruits of the Spirit,

however, happiness is promised to those who trust in and obey the Lord.

( we just might need to take a closer look at what we define as happiness

and who our 'happiness' serves) ooh

Happy/blessed are the people whose God is the LORD!

Ps.144:15

“Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,

And whose hope is the LORD.

Jer.17:7

Happiness is the the phoenix that rises

from the ashes on the altar of sacrifice/obedience

So Samuel said: “Has the LORD as great delight

 in burnt offerings and sacrifices, 

As in obeying the voice of the LORD? 

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

 And to heed than the fat of rams.

1 Sa.15:22

But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it,

and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work,

this one will be blessed in what he does.

James 1:25

The law of liberty is not freedom/permission to

do what we prefer, but rather to trust God (who) works all things for good

to those who love Him are called according to His purpose (not ours)

Rom.8:28

John 13:17

If you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Romans 2:13

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God,

but it is the doers of the law who will be declared righteous.

Luke 11:28

But He replied, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.”

1 Peter 3:14

But even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed.

“Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken.”

James 1:22

Be doers of the word, and not hearers only.

Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves.

The path to the house has been cleared so we can get to the front door!

The path of righteousness has been cleared too, not by a shovel

but by a Shepherd 🙏 

To walk in paths of righteousness we first must trust the Shepherd's lead

And acknowledge the selfishness, that hinders true humility

That frustrates full surrender to He who knows and supplies our need

His love, faithful, tender and true secures the law of liberty

He cannot keep in perfect peace, the mind that is not stayed on Him

Who prefers rather, to appease the ways of want with willful pride

And cater to the nature that justifies stubborn wish and whim

Rather than honour the Creator who is able/faithful to provide

The Way, The Truth, the Life is not a 'pick-your-flavour-of-the-day'

His commands are not optional, but He gives us freedom to choose

To accept the duty of man; fear God, keep His commands, obey

He, who authored salvation's plan and paid its price. Or to refuse

With God all things are possible; why are we so deceived by sight?

Making logic more credible than He who rules seas, tempest-tossed

And numbers stars; who through His word grants wisdom to know wrong from right

A Shepherd who is undeterred and leaves the fold to seek the lost

To walk in paths of righteousness we first must trust the Shepherd's lead

And recognize that selfishness approves the wayward ways of sin

We first must bow in thankful wonder before He who fills our need

Who rent the temple's veil with thunder so that all may enter in

So that all may find sweet rest for souls that once were lost, like sheep

For all who trust the Lord are blessed; who make His law their chief delight  

So that we need not fear the vales that wind through Unknowns, dark and deep

The Shepherd, whose love never fails leads us till faith is turned to sight

© Janet Martin

Psalm 95:6-7

O come, let us worship and bow down;

let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.

For He is our God,

and we are the people of His pasture,

the sheep under His care.

Regarding Life's 'Musts'

Today's post was inspired, in part,  by a comment Jim (my husband, a truck driver)

 made this morning, as he envisioned another week 

of snowy roads, winter driving etc...

Not in disrespect to my 'I will pray for you'

he simply stated the matter of fact/must;

'all your prayers don't take away the fact that I

still have to face the weather and the highway...'

What a picture of life for all of us!!!

 and what a comfort of love!

When we pray for each other, 'for God to guide and keep'

the prayer does not take away the 'road ahead'

  but suddenly, gloriously 

a miraculous transformation takes place!

We go from this...

to this!!

(oops!! I missed a word in the reference below but

drawing is way too challenging for me to attempt a do-over 😂😐)

also, a glimpse at what happens when I look at the clock and g-a-a-a-asp!

“I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee”;

Life's storms come, and pass

just as one 'must' precedes another!

No matter what we say to someone

we cannot take their 'Must' away.

(Jesus, in Gethsemane, though he pleaded was not spared)

We cannot travel their stretch of highway,

we cannot carry their cross.

We can walk alongside each other and

encourage each other, but we cannot

do each other's 'must'.

How wonderful then, the holy opportunity

free to all, to ask God to help us,

 to hold our hand and to go before us.

We don't have to face life's 'musts' alone!

Oh think about this;

We alone, are responsible for our fellowship with our

Heavenly Father; surely the most sacred 'must' of all.

May we pray, as Jesus in Gethsemane prayed , 'not my will, but Thine!'

Or in the Lord's Prayer, 'Thy will be done'.

Isa.45:2-3 & 5-8

“I will go before you

and level the mountains; 

I will break down the gates of bronze

and cut through the bars of iron.

3I will give you the treasures of darkness

and the riches hidden in secret places,

so that you may know that I am the LORD,

the God of Israel, who calls you by name...

5I am the LORD, and there is no other;

there is no God but Me.

I will equip you for battle,

though you have not known Me,

6so that all may know,

from where the sun rises to where it sets,

that there is none but Me;

I am the LORD, and there is no other.

7I form the light and create the darkness;

I bring prosperity and create calamity.

I, the LORD, do all these things.

8Drip down, O heavens, from above,

and let the skies pour down righteousness.

Let the earth open up that salvation may sprout

and righteousness spring up with it;

I, the LORD, have created it.

Read the whole glorious chapter HERE

***

Life's burdens must be borne

Its highways must be trod

Its holy unknowns must be faced

Either fear or faith-shod

Its mornings must be met

Its tests must be endured

Its tempests must be weathered, pray

Hope's Anchor is secured

Life's deserts must be crossed

Its hurdles must be leapt

Its battles must be won or lost

Promises must be kept

Its choices must be made

Its voices must be heard

Its sorrows must be suffered, for

Love's due is undeterred

Life's lessons must be learned

Through much-mistake accrued 

Its crown of wisdom must be earned

Humble pie must be chewed

And each of us must choose

How we will heed life's call

Whether we will trust or refuse

The God who loves us all 

Life's burdens must be borne

Its highways must be trod

Its unknowns, betwixt morn-to-morn

Never too hard for God 

© Janet Martin 

Being a transport truck driver in the winter

is not for the faint of heart!

Will you pray for their safety and encouragement too?

Isa.45:21-22

...There is no other God but Me,

a righteous God and Savior;

there is none but Me.

22Turn to Me and be saved,

all the ends of the earth;

for I am God,

and there is no other.

'Til the Storm Passes By

Lyrics-Songwriters: Thomas Mosie Lister

… In the dark of the midnight have I oft hid my face

While the storms howl above me, and there's no hiding place

'Mid the crash of the thunder, precious Lord, hear my cry

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by

… 'Til the storm passes over, 'til the thunder sounds no more

'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by

… Many times Satan whispered, "There is no need to try

For there's no end of sorrow, there's no hope by and by"

But I know Thou art with me, and tomorrow I'll rise

Where the storms never darken the skies

… 'Til the storm passes over, 'til the thunder sounds no more

'Til the clouds roll forever from the sky

Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand

Keep me safe 'til the storm passes by

Gale-worthy Grounding

Devastation and disaster are part of this life

and sometimes sadly, seems the only way

 for God to really get our attention.

Somehow, when life unfolds smoothly we

are more apt to slip into selfish complacency rather

than call on Him.

When we dwell only on grief's wounds 

that loss of loved ones inflicts

sorrow can be almost unbearable!

However, when we remember and think on the believer's gain, 

where death is but the door to faith's inheritance

what comfort God's promises bestow.

John 11:25

25Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. 

Whoever believes in Me will live, even though he dies.

 26And everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. 

Do you believe this?”

My friend gifted me a beautiful book

knowing how much I love the books

Streams in the Desert and Springs in the Valley

This book, by the the same author, Mrs. Chas. E. Cowman 

is entitled Consolation... and I love it!

It is a collection of daily devotions

of consolation and encouragement...

(And the pretty, handmade brooch pinned to my bookmark ribbon

was a gift as well from a sweet and super-talented artist

 in my Sunday School class 💝💖)

Yesterday's devotion was esp. ministering to me

and may be to you as well, 

as our hearts are with everyone affected by the wildfires in LA.! 

As I pondered where to begin

to find the beginning of true hope, joy and peace

as I began to trace one truth

it always joined to another...

Faith, without a firm foundation when life’s gales begin to blow

Will be devoid of duration; like a ship tossed to and fro

Hope, without faith’s expectation anchored in redeeming love

Flaps it wings; determination on its own is not enough

Joy without hope’s secure anchor; Jesus, who forgives our sin

When met with bereavement’s rancor, has no Comforter within

Peace, without joy’s Awesome Author, (whose gift of salvation saves)

Cannot be; because no other Voice can calm dread’s wind and waves

Trust, without God’s peace to buffer trouble’s billows undeterred

Cannot bear what it must suffer without guidance from God’s Word

Love, without Trust’s full surrender, is a bud, eager to burst

With incomparable splendor of the One who loved us first

Faith, hope, joy, peace, trust and love; what better bulwark can there be

By the grace of God quite enough to pray ‘be it unto me’

Quite enough to be enough though hell's fury should be unfurled 

Upon the Rock of Jesus' love Faith's Footing overcomes the world  

© Janet Martin

Romans 5:1-5
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith,

 we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

 / through whom we have gained access by faith 

into this grace in which we stand. 

And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. / 

Not only that, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, 

because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ...

Colossians 1:5
the faith and love proceeding from the hope stored up for you in heaven, 

of which you have already heard in the word of truth, the gospel

1 Peter 1:3-5
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! 

By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope

 through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, / 

and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading,

 reserved in heaven for you, / 

who through faith are shielded by God’s power 

for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

2 Corinthians 7:1
Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises,

 let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit,

 perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with everyone, as well as holiness, 

without which no one will see the Lord.

How Firm a Foundation

 

Lyrics...

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!

What more can He say than to you He hath said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2

“Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,

For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;

I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.”

3

“When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow;

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.”

4

“When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;

The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design

Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.”

5

“E’en down to old age all My people shall prove

My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;

And then, when grey hairs shall their temples adorn,

Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.”

6

“The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,

I will not, I will not desert to his foes;

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I’ll never, no, never, no, never forsake!”

Author (attributed to): R. Keen (1787); Author: K. (1787); Author (attributed to): George Keith (1787)